Bullying and Belonging: Teachers’ Reports of School Aggression
Main Article Content
Abstract
Research on bullying has confirmed that social identity processes and group-based emotions are pertinent to children’s responses to bullying. However, such research has been done largely with child participants, has been quantitative in nature, and has often relied on scenarios to portray bullying. The present paper departs from this methodology by examining group processes in qualitative reports of bullying provided by teachers. Fifty-one teachers completed an internet-based survey about a bullying incident at a school where they worked. Thematic analysis of survey responses concerned two core themes in the reports: (a) children ganging up on another child and (b) children sticking together to protect each other. There was evidence that children act in specific ways, in line with social identity processes, in order to support or resist bullying. There was also evidence that teachers understand bullying to be a group phenomenon. The implications of these findings for anti-bullying interventions are discussed.
Article Details
How to Cite
Jones, S. E., Manstead, A. S., & Livingstone, A. G. (2014). Bullying and Belonging: Teachers’ Reports of School Aggression. Frontline Learning Research, 2(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v2i1.80
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References
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Bauman, S., & Del Rio, A. (2005). Knowledge and beliefs about bullying in schools: Comparing pre-service teachers in the United States and the United Kingdom. School Psychology International, 26(4), 428-442 doi: 10.1177/0143034305059019
Boulton, M. J. (1997). Teachers' views on bullying: definitions, attitudes and ability to cope. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67,(2) 223-233. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8279.1997.tb01239.x
Boulton, M.J., Hardcastle, K., Down, J. Simmonds, J., & Fowles, J. A. (2014). A comparison of pre-service teachers’ responses to cyber versus traditional bullying scenarios: similarities and differences and implications for practice. Journal of Teacher Education. 65 ,(2)145-155. doi:10.1177/0022487113511496
Coffey A & Atkinson P (1996). Making sense of qualitative data: Complementary strategies. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
Department for Children, School, and Families (2007). Safe to learn: Embedding anti-bullying work in schools. Retrieved on 03/31/2011 from: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications
Dunham, Y., Baron., A.S., & Carey, S. (2011). Consequences of "minimal" group affiliations in children Child Development, 82(3), 793-811. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01577.x
Espelage, D.L., Low, S. & De La Rue, L. (2012). Relations between peer victimization subtypes, family violence, and psychological outcomes during early adolescence. Psychology of Violence, 2, 313-24
Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F. I. M. and Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2005). Bullying: Who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 20: 81-91.
Hazler, R. J., Miller, D. L., Carney, J. V. & Green, S. (2001). Adult recognition of school bullying situations. Educational Research 43, 133–46.
Hitti, A., Mulvey, K. L., Rutland, A., Abrams, D. & Killen, M. (2013). When is it OK to exclude a member of the ingroup?: Children’s and adolescents’ social reasoning. Social Development, doi:org/10.1111/sode.12047
Horne, A.M., Stoddard, J.L., & Bell, C.D. (2007). Group approaches to reducing aggression and bullying in school. Group Dynamics - Theory, Research and Practice, 11 (4), 262-271.doi:10.1037/1089-2699.11.4.262
Holt, M. K. & Keyes, M. A. (2004). Teachers’ attitudes towards bullying. In D. L. Espelage and S. M. Swearer (eds). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention, (pp. 121–40). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hunter, S.C., Mora-Merchán, J.A., & Ortega, R. (2004). The long-term effects of coping strategy use in the victims of bullying. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 7 (1), 3-12.
Hymel, S., Vaillancourt, T., McDougall, P., & Renshaw, P.D. (2002). Peer acceptance and rejection in childhood. In P.K. Smith & C.H. Hart (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of childhood social development (pp. 265–284). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Jetten, J., Branscombe, N. R., Spears, R., & McKimmie, B. M. (2003). Predicting the paths of peripherals: The interaction of identification and future possibilities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 130-140. doi: 10.1177/0146167202238378
Jones, S. E., Haslam, S. A., York, L., & Ryan, M. K. (2008). Rotten apple or rotten barrel? Social identity and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(1), 117–132. doi:10.1348/026151007X200385
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R., & Livingstone, A.G. (2012). Fair-weather or foul-weather friends? Group identification and children’s responses to bullying. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 3(4), 414-420. doi: 10.1177/1948550611425105
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R., & Livingstone, A.G. (2011). Ganging up or sticking together: Group processes and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Psychology, 102 (1), 71-96. doi: 10.1348/000712610X502826
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R.,& Livingstone, A.G. (2009). Birds of a feather bully together: Group processes and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27, 853-873. doi: 10.1348/026151008_390267
Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2009). The relationship between staff maltreatment of students and bully-victim group membership. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33, 914-923.
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Pelletier, M. (2008). Teachers' views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students’ coping with peer victimization. Journal of School Psychology 46, 431-453. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.005
Mishna, F., Wiener, J., & Pepler, D. (2008). Some of my best friends: Experiences of bullying within friendships. School Psychology International, 29(5), 549-573. doi:10.1177/0143034308099201
Morrison, B. (2006). School bullying and restorative justice: Toward a theoretical understanding of the role of respect, pride and shame. Journal of Social Issues, 62,(2) 371-392 doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2006.00455.x
Nesdale, D. (2007). Peer groups and children's school bullying: Scapegoating and other group processes. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4, 388-392.doi: 10.1080/17405620701530339
Nesdale, D., Durkin, K., Maass, A., Kiesner, J., & Griffiths, J. (2008). Effects of group norms on children's intentions to bully. Social Development, 17, 889–907. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00475.x
Nesdale,D.,& Pickering,K. (2006) Teacher’s reactions to children’s aggression. Social Development, 15,(1)109-127. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2006.00332.x
Nicolaides, S., Toda, Y. & Smith, P. K. (2002). Knowledge and attitudes about school bullying in trainee teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology 72, 105–18. doi: 10.1348/000709902158793
Ojala, K., & Nesdale, D. (2004). Bullying and social identity: The effects of group norms and distinctiveness threat on attitudes towards bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22, 19–35. doi: 10.1348/026151004772901096
Olweus, D. (1994) Annotation: bullying at school: basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 35, 1171–1190.no doi
O'Moore, M., Kirkham, C., & Smith, M. (1998) Bullying in schools in Ireland : A nationwide study. Irish Educational Studies, 17, 255 – 271.
Rigby, K. (2007). Bullying in schools and what to do about it (Updated, revised). Melbourne: Australian Council for Education Research.
Roberts, S., Zhang, J., Truman, J., & Snyder, T. D. (2012). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2011 (Pub No. NCES 2012-002/NCJ 236021). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012002.pdf
Sainio, M., Veenstra, R., Huitsing, G., & Salmivalli, C. (2011). Victims and their defenders: A dyadic approach. International Journal for Behavioral Development 35, 144-151. doi: 10.1177/0165025410378068
Smith, P.K., & Brain, S. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 1-9. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tajfel, H., Billig, M. G., Bundy, R. P., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149-177. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W.G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.) The social psychology of intergroup relations. (pp. 7-24). Monterey, CA: Brooks Cole.
Turner, J. C. (1999). Some current issues in research on social identity and self-categorization theories. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears, & B. Doosje (Eds.) Social identity: Context, commitment, content. (pp. 6-34). Oxford: Blackwell.
Whitney, I. & Smith, P.K. (1993) A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in junior/middle and secondary schools. Educational Research, 35, 3–25. Yoon, J. S., & Kerber, K. (2003). Bullying: Elementary teachers’ attitudes and intervention strategies. Research in Education 69, 27–35.
Yubero, S., & Navarro, R. (2006): Student’s and teachers’ views of gender-related aspects of aggression. School Psychology International, 27, 488-512. doi: 10.1177/0143034306070436
Bauman, S., & Del Rio, A. (2005). Knowledge and beliefs about bullying in schools: Comparing pre-service teachers in the United States and the United Kingdom. School Psychology International, 26(4), 428-442 doi: 10.1177/0143034305059019
Boulton, M. J. (1997). Teachers' views on bullying: definitions, attitudes and ability to cope. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67,(2) 223-233. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8279.1997.tb01239.x
Boulton, M.J., Hardcastle, K., Down, J. Simmonds, J., & Fowles, J. A. (2014). A comparison of pre-service teachers’ responses to cyber versus traditional bullying scenarios: similarities and differences and implications for practice. Journal of Teacher Education. 65 ,(2)145-155. doi:10.1177/0022487113511496
Coffey A & Atkinson P (1996). Making sense of qualitative data: Complementary strategies. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
Department for Children, School, and Families (2007). Safe to learn: Embedding anti-bullying work in schools. Retrieved on 03/31/2011 from: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications
Dunham, Y., Baron., A.S., & Carey, S. (2011). Consequences of "minimal" group affiliations in children Child Development, 82(3), 793-811. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01577.x
Espelage, D.L., Low, S. & De La Rue, L. (2012). Relations between peer victimization subtypes, family violence, and psychological outcomes during early adolescence. Psychology of Violence, 2, 313-24
Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F. I. M. and Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2005). Bullying: Who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 20: 81-91.
Hazler, R. J., Miller, D. L., Carney, J. V. & Green, S. (2001). Adult recognition of school bullying situations. Educational Research 43, 133–46.
Hitti, A., Mulvey, K. L., Rutland, A., Abrams, D. & Killen, M. (2013). When is it OK to exclude a member of the ingroup?: Children’s and adolescents’ social reasoning. Social Development, doi:org/10.1111/sode.12047
Horne, A.M., Stoddard, J.L., & Bell, C.D. (2007). Group approaches to reducing aggression and bullying in school. Group Dynamics - Theory, Research and Practice, 11 (4), 262-271.doi:10.1037/1089-2699.11.4.262
Holt, M. K. & Keyes, M. A. (2004). Teachers’ attitudes towards bullying. In D. L. Espelage and S. M. Swearer (eds). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention, (pp. 121–40). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hunter, S.C., Mora-Merchán, J.A., & Ortega, R. (2004). The long-term effects of coping strategy use in the victims of bullying. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 7 (1), 3-12.
Hymel, S., Vaillancourt, T., McDougall, P., & Renshaw, P.D. (2002). Peer acceptance and rejection in childhood. In P.K. Smith & C.H. Hart (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of childhood social development (pp. 265–284). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Jetten, J., Branscombe, N. R., Spears, R., & McKimmie, B. M. (2003). Predicting the paths of peripherals: The interaction of identification and future possibilities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 130-140. doi: 10.1177/0146167202238378
Jones, S. E., Haslam, S. A., York, L., & Ryan, M. K. (2008). Rotten apple or rotten barrel? Social identity and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(1), 117–132. doi:10.1348/026151007X200385
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R., & Livingstone, A.G. (2012). Fair-weather or foul-weather friends? Group identification and children’s responses to bullying. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 3(4), 414-420. doi: 10.1177/1948550611425105
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R., & Livingstone, A.G. (2011). Ganging up or sticking together: Group processes and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Psychology, 102 (1), 71-96. doi: 10.1348/000712610X502826
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R.,& Livingstone, A.G. (2009). Birds of a feather bully together: Group processes and children’s responses to bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27, 853-873. doi: 10.1348/026151008_390267
Khoury-Kassabri, M. (2009). The relationship between staff maltreatment of students and bully-victim group membership. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33, 914-923.
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Pelletier, M. (2008). Teachers' views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students’ coping with peer victimization. Journal of School Psychology 46, 431-453. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2007.07.005
Mishna, F., Wiener, J., & Pepler, D. (2008). Some of my best friends: Experiences of bullying within friendships. School Psychology International, 29(5), 549-573. doi:10.1177/0143034308099201
Morrison, B. (2006). School bullying and restorative justice: Toward a theoretical understanding of the role of respect, pride and shame. Journal of Social Issues, 62,(2) 371-392 doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2006.00455.x
Nesdale, D. (2007). Peer groups and children's school bullying: Scapegoating and other group processes. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4, 388-392.doi: 10.1080/17405620701530339
Nesdale, D., Durkin, K., Maass, A., Kiesner, J., & Griffiths, J. (2008). Effects of group norms on children's intentions to bully. Social Development, 17, 889–907. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00475.x
Nesdale,D.,& Pickering,K. (2006) Teacher’s reactions to children’s aggression. Social Development, 15,(1)109-127. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2006.00332.x
Nicolaides, S., Toda, Y. & Smith, P. K. (2002). Knowledge and attitudes about school bullying in trainee teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology 72, 105–18. doi: 10.1348/000709902158793
Ojala, K., & Nesdale, D. (2004). Bullying and social identity: The effects of group norms and distinctiveness threat on attitudes towards bullying. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22, 19–35. doi: 10.1348/026151004772901096
Olweus, D. (1994) Annotation: bullying at school: basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 35, 1171–1190.no doi
O'Moore, M., Kirkham, C., & Smith, M. (1998) Bullying in schools in Ireland : A nationwide study. Irish Educational Studies, 17, 255 – 271.
Rigby, K. (2007). Bullying in schools and what to do about it (Updated, revised). Melbourne: Australian Council for Education Research.
Roberts, S., Zhang, J., Truman, J., & Snyder, T. D. (2012). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2011 (Pub No. NCES 2012-002/NCJ 236021). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012002.pdf
Sainio, M., Veenstra, R., Huitsing, G., & Salmivalli, C. (2011). Victims and their defenders: A dyadic approach. International Journal for Behavioral Development 35, 144-151. doi: 10.1177/0165025410378068
Smith, P.K., & Brain, S. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 1-9. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tajfel, H., Billig, M. G., Bundy, R. P., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149-177. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W.G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.) The social psychology of intergroup relations. (pp. 7-24). Monterey, CA: Brooks Cole.
Turner, J. C. (1999). Some current issues in research on social identity and self-categorization theories. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears, & B. Doosje (Eds.) Social identity: Context, commitment, content. (pp. 6-34). Oxford: Blackwell.
Whitney, I. & Smith, P.K. (1993) A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in junior/middle and secondary schools. Educational Research, 35, 3–25. Yoon, J. S., & Kerber, K. (2003). Bullying: Elementary teachers’ attitudes and intervention strategies. Research in Education 69, 27–35.
Yubero, S., & Navarro, R. (2006): Student’s and teachers’ views of gender-related aspects of aggression. School Psychology International, 27, 488-512. doi: 10.1177/0143034306070436